Alice de Wend Fenton, Deputy Product Manager Twingo and Captur
Alice with the new Captur SUV-style family car
| Alice de Wend Fenton talks about the Captur's new colours, highlights and options like a fashion designer discussing details at a catwalk show. She says "A colour combination can sell a car. If it catches someone's eye and they like the styling of a car, they may want to find out more and buy it." The Captur has already had a show at the Westfield shopping mall in London, and it may have more. Alice says. "We're thinking of bringing out limited collections for autumn, spring etc. We could show them at Westfield and get the public to vote on which colours they like best." She says some of these colours will be brighter than is usual in the UK, because people are getting bolder with their choices. Following the success of the Citroen DS3's pink roof, they may even consider shades of pink. Personalisation is also increasingly important, and the Captur will have plenty of options to choose from and different settings for the display screen. Alice says "Then people can say "That's not just a Captur, that's my Captur." ' The Captur has two features that will win the hearts of parents: first, the seats covers come off and can be washed - brilliant! What don't all cars have that? And, of course you can get a new set to give the car a fresh look or to increase resale value when you sell. Second, the boot floor is reversible, so you can have a smart side and a washable dog and welly side. Again, genius. The Captur is also fun and lively to drive. I like the muscular sweeps down the side, although nose is a bit fussy and the plastics inside are not the very best. Colour? I like the blue Miami edition, I never want a silver car again. |
So you want Alice's job? She says: "I'd graduated and done some work in a marketing agency but it was all biscuits and crisps where people just go for the latest offer. I wanted to get involved somewhere where the purchasing process was more involved. I'm 24 now, I went into Renault at 22 on the graduate scheme, and worked in different areas. I worked in a dealership, not selling, but working with sales, service and admin teams, and that was great experience. I'm not a petrol-head, but neither are most of our customers, so I'm on the same page as them." A number of manufacturers have graduate training schemes or placements for students with a year out as part of the course. Alice says: "Just have a look at the websites. A lot of women just don't know or think about the motor industry as a career." And that's a shame!
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